Fernando Alonso shared a bitter rivalry with a rookie Lewis Hamilton when the do were paired as teammates with McLaren.
Ahead of the 2007 F1 season, Fernando Alonso made the switch from Renault to McLaren. He was the defending World Champion having won the 2005 and 2006 championships.
Alonso was paired with a rookie Lewis Hamilton who joined McLaren after a successful GP2 campaign. Hamilton was the first driver to win the GP2 title in his rookie year and was a bright prospect for the future.
Alonso looked like the definite ‘No.1’ driver at McLaren. But after securing a debut podium in Australia, Hamilton made a strong impression on the F1 grid.
The duo clashed on and off the track regularly during the season, causing a heated scenario within the team. This soon led to a rift within the teams causing different fractions to develop.
The heated rivalry grew to an extent that the other driver used to impede the other’s chances of claiming a better result.
Hamilton and Alonso both finished the season with 109 points. The two were tied up with 4 wins and 12 podiums. But because Hamilton out-qualified the Spaniard 10 times, he claimed the runner-up position in his rookie year.
Following the Spygate controversy and his fallout with the team, Alonso’s contract with McLaren was terminated. Meanwhile, Hamilton was offered a long-term Multi-million contract extension to race with McLaren until 2012.
Hamilton still considers Alonso one of his biggest and feared rivals to date. But in his single season, Alonso made a couple of friends at the McLaren garage to aid him win the championhip.
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton admits $20 million annually earning F1 star is toughest opponent in his career so far
How Fernando Alonso used to bribe his mechanics
Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley said Fernando used to regularly reward his mechanics. He used to share his profits amongst his team personnel to reward them for their efforts.
This was one of Alonso’s biggest traits as he quickly became a favourite amongst the mechanics. “One of Fernando’s tactics is to try and bring the whole team over to his side of the garage,” said Priestley.
But when Alonso was pressured by Lewis Hamilton, he used to gift the mechanics who used to not work on Hamilton’s car. This was an ‘edgy’ tactic the Spaniard used to gain an advantage over his rookie teammate.
He adds, “Fernando’s manager, or his trainer, was handing out little brown envelopes stuffed with cash to everybody who wasn’t in Lewis’ car. We all got these little brown envelopes and I remember opening up the envelope.”
When asked how much did he receive Priestley said, “It was like 1,500 Euros ($1500) or something”. This shows how much of a threat Hamilton posed to a senior driver like Alonso despite being a rookie.
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton describes beating Fernando Alonso as a rookie
